Neurosurgeon, professor and Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, Dr. Sanjay Gupta shared his personal recollections and theories on lifelong learning and the attempt to escape a narrow state of mind.
Gupta spent the evening discussing his views on human values, relationships, and the importance of the health of our bodies being equal to our minds.
Concerned with the well being of his own mind and awareness of how the world started to narrow his views, he engaged in multiple activities hoping he could find a way to challenge himself and keep his mind stimulated.
“I broadened my scope and began to exercise my brain as much as I could,” said Gupta.
Gupta’s ultimate decision to go into journalism came from that personal motivation. He described it as a constant enchantment that he could always learn something new. He would continue to practice medicine during the day, then return home to write creative stories, garden, learn new languages, take cooking classes and even learn how to ride a motorcycle.
“I just wanted to learn as much as I could,” he said.
 Contrary to the assumption that his profession entitled him to be closely in tact with the analytical left-brain personality, Gupta considered himself to be a creative, right dominant personality.
 “I concluded this, that we are not born with innate motivation” said Gupta, “there are these formative experiences that you have, that you may or may not recognize at the time as being formative, that ultimately start to change your brain and your motivation at a very deep level.”
He shared with the audience that the brain is always changing, and we should take note of how often we redirect ourselves. He said that the starting point to change the way we think about our brains.
“It’s not just a transmitter of information from the outside world, but rather in fact it’s interpreting the world,” Gupta shared.
 Gupta loves his professions, both medicine and media together. As a journalist for CNN, Gupta’s experiences lead him parachuting into natural disaster, a trip abroad through the trenches in Iraq and Southeast Asia during the devastating tsunami. All experiences he accredits to shaping his life.
While reporting on the ground with victims of natural disasters, people would offer him and his crew any food they had. To him, this was a perfect example of people conforming to their altruistic nature, and that trait is a reward and motivation for our brains.
Focusing on the simple concept that in order for progressive positive change to continue for our society, that cooperation and compassion must go hand in hand.
“Hopes, dreams and aspirations, are distributed equally throughout the entire world,” said Gupta, “What is not equally distributed are opportunities, working systems, and justice. It’s probably the most important thing I’ve learned, it’s what I think about when I sprint into a war zone or natural disaster.”